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FAQs
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What is Computer Adaptive Assessment (CAA)?
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How does CAA differ from paper-and-pencil testing?
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What are the potential benefits of Computer Adaptive Assessment?
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Where are Computer Adaptive Assessment systems currently being used?
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What is the purpose of the Alberta CAA project?
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What research or literature exists to support a move by Alberta
Education to proceed with building a CAA system?
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When will students be able to take the Alberta CAA?
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What are the anticipated benefits of CAA for the learning system?
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What will be required of my school authority if I decide to
participate in the CAA initiative?
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How will the CAA initiative be funded?
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Who will be involved in the development and review of the items that
compose the CAA item banks?
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How will the Alberta CAA system be developed and implemented?
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What professional development activities will be developed to support
teachers involved in the initiative?
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To what curricula will the CAA items be aligned?
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How can teachers use the CAA system to help them identify curricular
areas that a student is struggling with?
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CAA dynamically selects items for each examinee. How can you ensure
the assessment represents the Alberta Education curriculum when each examinee
receives a different set of items?
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How do we know if the results of the CAA system are valid and
reliable?
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Will the testing-on-demand attribute of a CAA system lead to the same
assessment items being so frequently administered that the assessment is
compromised?
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How will CAA assessment items be renewed to ensure currency and
relevance?
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What technology is required at the school level in order to
participate in the CAA project?
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Where will students take the Computer Adaptive Assessment?
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How can you ensure that assessments delivered over the Internet will
be secure?
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How will the security of student information be ensured?
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How can CAA be used to complement other classroom assessment
strategies?
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How will CAA improve or enhance teacher access to assessment
materials?
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Will students receive instruction on how to use the CAA system?
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Are students required to solve all test items in the CAA?
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How many assessment items will be administered in the CAA?
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Can CAA be used to assess students with special needs?
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How will the field be involved in decision making regarding the
future of CAA in Alberta schools?
Introduction to Computer Adaptive Assessment
1. What is Computer Adaptive Assessment (CAA)?
Computer Adaptive Assessment (CAA), also referred to as Computer Adaptive
Testing (CAT), is an innovative form of assessment in which an examinee is
presented with test items in a sequence that is dependent on the correctness of
the response to the previous item. Through this process, each examinee is
administered a unique set of test items that provides an accurate measure of
his or her achievement level. Items are selected from an item bank of
developed, reviewed, and field-tested assessment items specific to a course and
grade. This process of selecting and administering items continues until the
CAA system reaches a pre-specified level of accuracy for an estimate of the
student's achievement level. A score is then immediately produced for the
examinee and detailed reports are produced.
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2. How does CAA differ from paper-and-pencil testing?
CAA differs from paper-and-pencil tests in a number of important ways. For
example, rather than having all examinees writing the same test with the same
number of items, each examinee is administered a unique set of items, tailored
to his or her specific achievement level. This approach to test administration
offers a challenging yet fair assessment experience for every student.
Examinees at a low achievement level are not required to respond to items that
are difficult and beyond their achievement level, thus reducing potentially
negative psychological effects (e.g., examinees becoming despondent or
experiencing test anxiety). Similarly, examinees at a high achievement level
are not required to answer items that are too simple for them, thus reducing
the potential for boredom.
The main benefit of CAA versus paper-and-pencil tests for low- and high-ability
students is that more information can be obtained on these students because
they are administered more items targeted to their ability. Typically,
examinees who take a CAA assessment require comparatively fewer items to obtain
an equivalent or more reliable measure of their ability than if they had taken
a traditional paper-and-pencil test. For example, Dr. Howard Wainer,
distinguished research scientist at the National Board of Medical Examiners,
reported that CAA requires, on average, about 60% of the items needed on a
comparable paper-and-pencil test to achieve the same level of score precision
(Wainer, 2000). Therefore, for most examinees, the test becomes noticeably
shorter and testing time is reduced.
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3. What are the potential benefits of Computer Adaptive
Assessment?
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Testing efficiency is enhanced in that fewer items are typically required to
obtain similar or better measurement accuracy, especially for students
at high or low achievement levels.
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In most cases, test-taking time is reduced.
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Testing on demand is possible; it enables teachers to better track student
progress and develop individualized program plans.
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Test-taking frustration for students is reduced.
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The potential for immediate test scoring and reporting becomes possible.
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There is greater flexibility in test item formats (e.g., using video clips or
interactive items) as well as in delivering sets of items (i.e., testlets).
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There is greater precision in the measurement of a student’s achievement level.
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There is greater score standardization, which allows scores to be compared at
multiple test-taking periods.
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Integrating field-test items (experimental items that do not yet have
statistical information associated with them) into a CAA system allows for the
fast and efficient collection of item statistics necessary to enhance/replenish
item banks. As a result, field-testing and operational testing are an
integrated process, which reduces test development, administration, and scoring
costs.
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4. Where are Computer Adaptive Assessment systems currently being used?
A number of operational CAA programs exist in North America, including the
following examples.
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American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Licensing Examination
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American Society of Clinical Pathologists Board of Registry Certification
Examinations
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The United States Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
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The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), administered by Educational
Testing Service (ETS)
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Graduate Record Examination, administered by ETS
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Measures of Academic Progress, developed by the Northwest Evaluation
Association (NWEA)
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Microsoft Certified Professional Exams
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North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination, developed by the US National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)
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National Council Licensure Examinations, developed by the US National Council
of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
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The Medical Council of Canada Licensing Examinations
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Alberta Computer Adaptive Assessment project
Overview
5. What is the purpose of the Alberta CAA project?
The purpose of the Alberta CAA project is to determine the efficacy of providing Alberta teachers with an
on-demand, curriculum-specific, online assessment tool to aid in the teaching
and learning processes. It is anticipated that the CAA system will provide a
number of benefits to students and teachers; for example, assessments can be
conducted a number of times during the school year with instant reports
generated, and teachers can use the CAA system to assess student progress
throughout the year (formative) as well as student performance at the end of a
course (summative). Teachers will decide if and how to use CAA to complement
other classroom assessment methods.
As one of many assessment strategies, teachers can use the CAA system to evaluate
student progress and identify areas of strength and weakness. The Alberta CAA
project is NOT intended to add to or replace currently administered provincial
standardized tests such as the grades 3, 6, and 9 achievement tests or the
Grade 12 diploma examinations.
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6. What research or literature exists to support a move by
Alberta Education to proceed with building a CAA system?
Research and academic literature generally promote CAA as a valid and reliable method of
assessment with significant benefits to students, teachers, and other
educational stakeholders. CAA is not without its challenges, such as the
statistical complexity required to calibrate items and equate results over
time, the development of item banks of sufficient size to be effective in
assessing student achievement, and technology issues such as sufficient
bandwidth requirements to ensure equivalent test-taking experiences for all
students. Solutions to these and other challenges exist and are presented in
the academic literature; these will be considered and incorporated into the
Alberta CAA system.
The Alberta CAA initiative has the benefit of a technical advisory committee
composed of international experts in the field of CAA with experience in the
design, development, and implementation of high-stakes, large-scale CAA
systems. This team includes Dr. Mark Gierl (distinguished professor at the
University of Alberta who currently holds the Canada Research Chair in
Educational Measurement), Dr. Tom Maguire (Professor Emeritus of the University
of Alberta and psychometric consultant in the development of the Medical
Council of Canada CAA), and Dr. Michael Jodoin (Development Scientist with
Educational Testing Services).
The benefits of technology-assisted assessment, and specifically CAA, have been
documented in a number of academic and non-academic sources. The TASA
(Technology Assisted Student Assessment) Institute, a non-profit Canadian
education research agency, offers a number of publications on their web site
that outline the benefits of computer-based and computer-adaptive assessment
methods (http://www.tasainstitute.com).
An excellent source for academic research in the area of CAA is the “CAT
Central: A global resource for Computer Adaptive Testing Research and
Applications” web site (http://www.psych.umn.edu/psylabs/CATCentral/).
The site contains information regarding the theory, issues, and challenges of
CAA as well as a massive bibliography of academic references that cover most
aspects of CAA.
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7. When will students be able to take the Alberta CAA?
The
Alberta CAA system will allow students to take assessments at multiple times
during the school year; in other words, on demand. Teachers would schedule a
suitable time for their student(s) to take a CAA. For example, when a student
moves from another school partway through the school year, the teacher could
schedule a CAA to assess the student’s progress in a course so that the teacher
is better able to design an appropriate instructional plan based on the
student’s strengths and weaknesses. After several months of instruction or
after a course unit has been taught, the teacher may decide to test the new
student again using the CAA and thereby track the student’s progress.
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8. What are the anticipated benefits of CAA for the learning
system?
There
are many potential benefits of the CAA system to students, teachers, schools,
and school authorities in Alberta. Teachers and students could benefit by
having ongoing access to curriculum-specific assessment tools to identify areas
of strength and weakness. Tracking their progress over time, students will be
empowered to take measures to address areas of weakness in their learning and
to celebrate their strengths. Teachers will have access to detailed yet
understandable reports that clearly identify the progress of student learning
and can use this information to modify instruction to reach students who are
not grasping concepts.
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Implementation
9. What will be required of my school authority if I decide to
participate in the CAA initiative?
School
authorities can participate in the CAA project by having their students take
computer-based and computer-adaptive assessments.
Access to the CAA system in the first and second year will be offered at no cost to school
authorities. For the third year, school authorities may incur a
portion of the cost, which would be shared with Alberta Education. For more
information regarding participation please contact Dr. Jim Dueck:
jim.dueck@gov.ab.ca
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10. How will the CAA initiative be funded?
Alberta
Education will fund Year 1 and Year 2 of the initiative (with a possibility of
funding being provided for Year 3 once budget allocations have been
determined). Jurisdictions will provide
support through involvement of their staff members and students. All education stakeholders involved in the
initiative will offer advice and feedback with respect to the results of the
CAA deliverables and the benefits derived for students.
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11. Who will be involved in the development and review of the
items that compose the CAA item banks?
Experienced
Alberta teachers will be involved in the development, review, and field-testing
(validation) of all items used in the CAA system. Item development processes
similar to those used by Alberta Education for the provincial testing programs
will be implemented to ensure item quality (i.e., curricular alignment,
relevance, currency, appropriateness, etc.). In addition, items will be
systematically and periodically reviewed.
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12. How will the Alberta CAA system be developed and
implemented?
Castle
Rock Research will build a CAA system for Alberta that will be recognized
worldwide for its innovative design, operation, and implementation. Further,
the CAA system will conform to the highest standards of quality, security,
efficiency, accuracy, and ease of implementation.
Year
1 will involve the design, development, and user acceptance of the
computer-based and computer adaptive-testing assessment. These systems will be
designed according to best practices in software development and psychometric
standards (Association of Test Publishers, 2000; American Council on Education,
1985; American Educational Research Association, 1999) and with ongoing
feedback from stakeholders (e.g., students, teachers, school administrators,
and school authority administrators). The computer-based aspects of the system
will allow for conventional testing (e.g., non-adaptive tests administered
online) using a computer interface. This computer-based functionality will
allow for the large-scale field testing of newly created items to obtain
individual student responses. These results will then be used to generate item
response theory (IRT) item- and ability-parameter estimates that will enable
migration to the CAA. Computer test delivery will also allow for the future
development of new modes of assessment that can include innovative item formats
(i.e., use of sound, video, and graphics). In this way, infrastructure for the
future direction of assessment can be established and developed over time
(Hambleton, Jodoin, & Zenisky, in press; van der Linden & Glas, 2000;
Wainer, 2000). In Year 1, computer-based field-testing of items in core
subjects at a number of grades between 3 and 12 will be available. Detailed
reports will be produced to provide feedback regarding areas of strength and
weakness relative to the Alberta curriculum.
Year
2 will introduce the computer adaptive assessment aspects of the Alberta CAA
system in specific core subject areas and grades (e.g., the courses and grades
that were available in Year 1). The
number of grades and courses available for computer-based assessment will be
expanded in Year 2 in order to facilitate more courses and grades. Ongoing
large-scale item development involving Alberta teachers will populate the
substantial item banks required for CAA. Feedback from stakeholders in Year 1
will be used to make improvements to the Alberta CAA system as needed in Year
2.
In
Year 3, will further expand the number of grades and courses will further
expand so that assessment can occur at any grade from grade 3 to high school in
the core subject areas of Mathematics, English Language Arts, Social Studies,
and Science.
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13. What professional development activities will be developed
to support teachers involved in the initiative?
This
support resource document will provide initial background for all education
stakeholders involved in the CAA initiative. In the future, professional development will be provided through school,
jurisdiction, and Alberta Education information sessions. Online training will be provided for
teachers and students with regard to the use of the CAA system, and information
about the potential uses of the reports will be provided as the initiative
evolves.
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Curriculum
14. To what curricula will the CAA items be aligned?
All
items used in the CAA will be aligned to the Alberta Programs of Study and
reviewed by experienced Alberta teachers. All items will be correlated to the
appropriate general or specific outcome level and will be reviewed to ensure
that content is current, relevant, and appropriate.
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15. How can teachers use the CAA system to help them
identify curricular areas that a student is struggling with?
The
CAA system will provide assessments at curricular strand/topic levels as well
as at the overall course level. As such, a teacher could have students take the
assessment for a specific strand/topic after having completed instruction for
that unit. In this way, teachers will obtain information about how well the
students attained the outcomes for that unit. At the end of a course, teachers
can have students take the CAA for all units to determine which curricular
areas students have mastered and which areas require further attention. Each
item within the CAA item banks will be tied directly to the Alberta Programs of
Study, and therefore will be associated with learning outcomes. Reports will
provide information about which outcomes are associated with each item to which
the student responded.
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16. CAA dynamically selects items for each examinee. How can
you ensure that the assessment represents the Alberta Education curriculum when
each examinee receives a different set of items?
The
Alberta CAA system will ensure representative content coverage by
incorporating content-balancing
rules. Content balancing involves establishing rules for administering representative
numbers of items from each curriculum category. For example, the Mathematics 30
Pure diploma examination contains items from six curriculum areas. The CAA
assessment for Mathematics 30 Pure would also be required to contain a minimum
number of items in each curriculum area, consistent with the percentage of the
course dedicated to each curricular area. Each course at each grade will have
different content balancing requirements based on its Program of Studies.
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Reliability and validity
17. How do we know if the results of the CAA system are valid
and reliable?
The
Alberta CAA system will be developed with input from Alberta teachers in all
phases of the project. Clear design specifications will be implemented to
ensure that items are created using the highest international standards.
Psychometric review and analysis of all CAA items will occur to ensure that
students are being administered items of the highest statistical quality.
Ongoing feedback will be solicited from classroom teachers, school
administrators, and school authority administrators. These processes will help
to ensure the validity of the CAA system.
An
assessment can be viewed as a series of measurements (each item being a
measurement) of a student’s ability in a specific content area (e.g.,
Mathematics 7). If a student is at a high achievement level, it is not
necessary to administer items in a range in which the student does not belong
(e.g., low achievement level) because the student should be 100% likely to
answer all of those easy items correctly. The adaptive nature of CAA allows for
the fine tuning of the assessment to determine a student's achievement level.
CAA also allows for the monitoring of the confidence or measurement accuracy
(in the form of a statistic called the “standard error of estimation”) of the
estimate of the student's achievement level while the student is taking the
assessment. This is a significant benefit of CAA over paper-and-pencil
assessment, in which standard error cannot be determined until after the
assessment is written. In this way, the CAA system can monitor how accurately
the student’s achievement is being measured and criteria can be set in advance
to obtain a specified level of measurement accuracy for each student. These
criteria are based on recommendations from the academic research literature as
well as the intended purpose of the CAA system (e.g., a high-stakes system
would require a more conservative threshold). Some students may require a
relatively small number of items in order to obtain the necessary measurement
accuracy whereas other students may require more items. Maximum and minimum
numbers of items are incorporated into the CAA system as well to ensure that
students do not answer too many items (which would result in over-testing) or
too few items (which would result in inadequate content-balancing).
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18. Will the testing-on-demand attribute of a CAA system lead
to the same assessment items being so frequently administered, that the assessment
is compromised?
The
issue of monitoring and controlling rates of item exposure (i.e., how often
items are administered to students) is a challenge that requires attention in
all adaptive assessment systems. Statistical techniques such as the
Sympson-Hetter method (Sympson & Hetter, 1985) or the a-Stratified method (Chang &
Ying, 1999) are available to deal with this issue and are incorporated into CAA
systems. Essentially, both methods seek to monitor the exposure rate of items
in the item banks at various achievement levels and offer solutions to control
the number of times items are administered. For example, if there is a small
number of items at the “tails” of the ability continuum (most difficult items
and least difficult items), those items may be exposed more frequently than items
in the middle range of achievement. Based on best practices from the academic
literature and on the characteristics of the initial item banks for each course
at each grade, the Alberta CAA system will adopt customized approaches to
control item exposure rates. In addition, ongoing reviews by experienced
teachers of items within the item banks must occur.
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19. How will CAA assessment items be renewed to ensure currency
and relevance?
All
items within the CAA item banks will be initially reviewed by teachers for
currency, relevance, and appropriateness. Items will be reviewed for currency
and relevance on an ongoing basis. In addition, item exposure (how many times
items have been administered) will be tracked to determine when items should be
retired from the item banks. Item development will be conducted on an ongoing
basis to replace items that are overexposed or are no longer current or
relevant.
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Technology and security
20. What technology is required at the school level in order to
participate in the CAA project?
The
Alberta CAA system will be an online application; as such, the basic technology
requirements at the school level will be the availability of computers, each
with an Internet connection, for students. The specific minimum requirements of
the CAA system can be found on page10; however, the system will be designed to
function in technology environments of moderate bandwidth with basic computer
hardware. The CAA system will be accessed by students via a web browser (e.g.,
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla Firefox). Castle Rock Research
and Alberta Education will work with schools to address challenges with the
technology should they arise.
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21. Where will students take the Computer Adaptive Assessment?
Students
will take the CAA at computers within their schools (e.g., library, classroom,
computer lab). Teachers will schedule a time for their students to take a CAA.
Students will then, under the supervision of a teacher or other school staff
member, log on to the CAA system and be granted access to take the assessment
for a specific grade and course (e.g., Grade 7 English Language Arts). When a
student finishes taking the CAA, reports will be generated.
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22. How can you ensure that assessments delivered over the
Internet will be secure?
Test
security is a fundamental issue with online assessment systems. Any CAA system
must ensure the integrity of its item banks and the security of the examinee
information captured in the assessment-taking process. This environment
requires a continuous commitment to security through the use of best practices
with respect to online architecture, technology, and process, as well as
sensitivity to the unique challenge of CAA systems. Castle Rock Research will
work with Alberta Education and the field to ensure that the CAA system is
secure.
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23. How will the security of student information be ensured?
Castle
Rock Research has designed and deployed several secure web sites as part of a
core initiative to extend its business operations to the online world. The
company’s corporate site includes a secure e-commerce platform that provides
its customers with convenient online ordering of print products and online
registration for diploma exam tutorials. The technology team has extensive
experience in working with e-commerce enablers such as Verisign to guarantee
the security and integrity of our customer’s transactions. The team has also
developed a secure, asynchronous channel for routing online transactions to
back-end fulfillment systems, and, in the process, addressed key security
issues including confidentiality, authenticity, data integrity, and
non-repudiation.
Managing
and protecting the confidentiality of user information is an essential
objective in the design and development of the company’s online products and
services, which include THE E-KEY, INTEGRITY, and CRR Item Bank. Castle Rock
Research has designed its security subsystems (authentication, access control,
data integrity, information flow, and auditing) in accordance with generally
accepted security strategies, such as defence in-depth, principle of least
privilege, and fail-safe stance. These subsystems establish and constrain the
environment in which application objectives are subsequently realized. This
approach puts security first. It is also the approach that Castle Rock Research
is committed to following in the delivery of all its online solutions,
including the Alberta CAA system.
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CAA as a classroom assessment tool
24. How can CAA be used to complement other classroom assessment strategies?
Formative
classroom assessment strategies such as quizzes and essays, performance tasks,
and judgments of teachers regarding student learning are vital to the teaching
and learning process and cannot be replaced. The CAA system is being designed
to complement these existing assessment strategies/tools already used by
teachers. The CAA system will allow teachers to access an online Alberta
curriculum-specific assessment tool whenever they wish in order to assess
student learning. Teachers can use the system to assess students following
instruction of a course strand/topic, in order to determine how well students
understood the material presented. Students who are struggling with concepts
can be identified early, and instructional strategies can be implemented to
assist these students. The CAA system can be used periodically throughout the
year to monitor and track student progress.
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25. How will CAA improve or enhance teacher access to
assessment materials?
Access
to the CAA system will allow teachers to access a powerful, Alberta
curriculum-specific, assessment tool. As teachers will be involved in most
aspects of the CAA system, from item development/review to feedback on system
performance, the CAA system will provide professional development opportunities
in the area of computer-assisted assessment. The experiences gained from
involvement in the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Alberta
CAA system will benefit teachers in numerous ways, from improving item
development techniques to learning about and using state-of-the-art assessment
processes. Teachers will have full access to the Alberta CAA, as long as their
school authorities participate in the project, helping them accurately assess
student learning using a curriculum-specific assessment tool.
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Student assessment experience
26. Will students receive instruction on how to use the CAA system?
Before
taking the actual CAA, students will receive online instruction on how to
respond to assessment questions. The CAA system will be designed to be very
simple to use so that an individual with little to no computer experience can
take the assessment effectively. Castle Rock Research will work with students,
teachers, and Alberta Education to ensure that the instructions and
assessment-taking experience for students is appropriate and engaging.
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27. Are students required to solve all test items in the CAA?
In
order to provide informative and accurate scores, students will be required to
respond to all of the items presented. However, the handling of incomplete
assessments (e.g., students who do not answer items) is an issue frequently
encountered when developing CAA systems. For example, if a student begins
taking the assessment and does not answer any items, it could be the case that
he or she is having trouble and requires assistance. In these cases, the
teacher (or test administrator) would be notified to assist the student. A
practice period is required before an operational CAA begins. This practice
period will help students become familiar with the testing environment and
should reduce the number of students who could have problems while taking the
assessment.
To
address students who do not respond to items, testing time limits for the
overall assessment will be used. For example, English Language Arts courses
would present sets of items (e.g., five or six items) that relate to a passage.
Students will have a preset period of time in which to respond to all the items
in all the item sets (e.g., students will have a two-hour time limit to finish
the entire CAA assessment). This time limit should be more than enough time for
students to respond to all the items. However, if a student does not respond to
items in the set before the time limit is reached, the system will score those
items as incorrect. This methodology is similar to what would occur on a
paper-and-pencil test. Students are not penalized in any way (e.g., “right
minus wrong”) for not answering items or for answering items incorrectly during
the CAA process.
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28. How many assessment items will be administered in the CAA?
The
number of assessment items that are administered to any given student will vary
based on the course, grade of the assessment, and response pattern of the
student. For example, students in lower grades will not be required to answer
as many items as students in higher grades. To address this issue, “stopping
rules” will be established for each course at each grade so that no student
will receive more than a maximum number of items (e.g., students taking a
Mathematics 7 CAA may take a maximum of 55 items, at which time the assessment
process would stop and they would receive a score). These stopping rules will
be based on a number of considerations including total test-taking time, grade
level, and Program of Studies, and will be established in consultation with
Alberta teachers and Alberta Education. Minimum numbers of items needed to
obtain appropriate curriculum coverage will also have to be determined. Overall
assessment length will vary for any given student as the assessment will
adaptively estimate each student’s achievement level. Some students may require
the minimum number of items in order to obtain an accurate estimation of their
achievement level, whereas other students may require the maximum number of items.
The accuracy of the results for every student will be highly comparable, and no
student will be disadvantaged or advantaged by responding to more or less
assessment items.
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29. Can CAA be used to assess students with special needs?
Testing
accommodations such as more time, larger fonts, a reader, etc. will be provided
at the discretion of the teacher. Existing technological solutions can be
incorporated into the CAA testing environment for students with visual
impairments. Other accommodations such as longer test-taking time, an on-site
reader, or a sign language interpreter can be made available through the school
authority. Because CAA has the potential to offer assessments in multiple modes
(i.e., sound, video, animations, etc.), testing accommodation solutions are
more readily available. For example, an on-site reader may not be necessary
because tools exist that can read digital text aloud to students. Castle Rock
Research will work with Alberta Education, teachers, and other stakeholders to
ensure that the CAA system can accommodate as many students with special needs
as possible.
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Future direction
30. How will the field be involved in decision making regarding
the future of CAA in Alberta schools?
Students,
teachers, schools, and school authorities will be intimately involved during
the item development and pilot phases of the CAA system by offering their
feedback and input. Student test-taking experiences will be carefully observed
to examine and evaluate the usability of the system. Experienced Alberta
teachers will develop, review, and field-test items to populate the CAA system
item banks. Teachers will also submit their observations of how students react
to and interact with the CAA system. Castle Rock Research will work with schools
and school authorities on an ongoing basis to address issues related to
technology, training, and reporting. This feedback will be used to identify and
address limitations of the CAA system and to ensure that the CAA system meets
the needs of all stakeholder groups. The information gathered throughout the
three-year project will be used to make decisions regarding the future of the
CAA system.
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